Roast Chook With Honey Carrots
A flattened whole chicken roasted over honeyed Dutch carrots and chickpeas, basted in hot butter until golden and served straight from the tin.
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
450g Dutch carrots, halved lengthways
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp honey
8 sprigs thyme
1 x 1.5kg whole chicken, spine removed and flattened
50g butter, melted and kept hot
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil
green salad and lemon cheeks, to serve (optional)
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
In a roasting tin, toss together the carrots, chickpeas, honey and thyme.
Place the flattened chicken, skin-side up, on top of the vegetables in the middle of the tin.
Pour the hot melted butter evenly over the chicken and sprinkle with the sea salt. Drizzle the olive oil and 160ml water over the vegetables.
Roast for about 45 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. A meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part should register at least 75°C.
Remove the tin from the oven and let the chicken rest in the tin with the vegetables for about 15 minutes.
While the chicken rests, prepare a green salad and lemon cheeks, if using.
Serve the buttered chicken with the carrots and chickpeas, alongside the salad and lemon cheeks.
HINTS
Flattening the chicken means it cooks faster and more evenly, with more skin exposed to crisp up.
Pouring the butter over while it's still hot helps the skin colour and crisp rather than sitting greasy.
Let it rest the full 15 minutes in the tin so the juices settle back into the meat and mingle with the honeyed carrots.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 4-6 - guide only):
Energy: 14500 kJ (3470 cal)
Protein: 245 g
Fat: 200 g
Saturated fat: 70 g
Carbohydrate: 90 g
Sugars: 55 g
Sodium: 4200 mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.